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Shortly after becoming mayor, former city officials and Wasilla residents said, Ms. Palin approached the town librarian about the possibility of banning some books, though she never followed through and it was unclear which books or passages were in question.
Ann Kilkenny, a Democrat who said she attended every City Council meeting in Ms. Palin’s first year in office, said Ms. Palin brought up the idea of banning some books at one meeting. “They were somehow morally or socially objectionable to her,” Ms. Kilkenny said.
The librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, pledged to “resist all efforts at censorship,” Ms. Kilkenny recalled. Ms. Palin fired Ms. Emmons shortly after taking office but changed course after residents made a strong show of support. Ms. Emmons, who left her job and Wasilla a couple of years later, declined to comment for this article.
In 1996, Ms. Palin suggested to the local paper, The Frontiersman, that the conversations about banning books were “rhetorical.”
Team Obama has launched an offensive against WGN, the Chicago Tribune's radio station, for interviewing Stanley Kurtz. Mr. Kurtz is a conservative writer who this week forced the University of Illinois to finally open its records on Sen. Obama's association with William Ayers, the unrepentant 1970s Weather Underground terrorist.
An Obama campaign email to supporters called Mr. Kurtz a "slimy character assassin" whose "divisive, destructive ranting" should be confronted. WGN producer Zack Christenson says the outpouring of negative calls and emails is "unprecedented." He also notes that it is curious -- because "we wanted the Obama campaign's take" on Mr. Kurtz's findings, but the campaign declined to put anyone on air.
Originally posted by sos37
reply to post by TheComte
According to that story, the town stood up to her for firing Ms. Emmons. It did say that Ms. Emmons vowed to fight censorship, but there are no hard conclusions drawn that say the town stood up to Palin for wanting to ban books, or even that Palin wanted to fire Ms. Emmons for resisting her on the book banning issue.
The NY Times introduces these things and wants the reader to draw these conclusions, which you did.
Now I do disagree with banning books, except in the cases of Elementary, Middle, Junior and High Schools. There are certain books I believe should not be available there, like "The Anarchist's Cookbook" and the like. Those types of books can be so easily had over the internet nowadays anyway.
On the Obama campaign, isn't the fact that they will do this in plain site, during a campaign an indicator that they would have no problems doing it behind closed doors, through legislation?
Originally posted by TheComte
reply to post by sos37
OK, but can we not assume that if the town stood up for the librarian who did NOT want the censorship, that they also did NOT want the censorship. Seems like that is the only conclusion to draw.
Originally posted by TheComte
reply to post by sos37
First of all, this thread is about Palin's attempt to ban books. Do you have an opinion on that either way? Are you all for it? Against?
As far as your example of the Obama campaign's transgressions, I don't agree with that either. However, the main difference is that at this time he is in the middle of a campaign to win the Presidency. We all know that both parties play dirty when so much is at stake.
With Palin, the spotlight wasn't on her, she was already mayor of a small community, zero media attention. And yet her beliefs caused her to think book banning was a good thing. She actually believed she was doing right. Kudos to the town for standing up to her.
Originally posted by TheComte
That is a great suggestion and I hope that some reporter will have the balls to ask her this question.
Reporters, if you are reading this, you know what to do.